In spite of a week of ropey weather I have spent much of this week in the garden or on my allotment. The garden might be winding down but the workload isn’t. Much of it revolves around tidying things up or putting them under cover for winter but I have also been sowing seeds and taking cuttings, cleaning glasshouses and dealing with pests.
This being Six on Saturday, bags of chopped down sweetcorn plants needing to be put through the shredder are not photogenic enough for inclusion and a before and after of the glasshouses I cleaned is too embarrassing. I took a bunch of pictures of plants, just need to see which I’ve already put into sixes in the last few weeks.
If a challenge is your thing, or you’re in the southern hemisphere, then now could be a great time to join us in the SoS meme, just put together a post about six things in your garden right now and put a link to it in my comments section below. There’s a participants guide here. Right, let’s crack on.
One.
Let’s kick off with the later flowering of my two Amaryllis belladonna forms. The earlier one was in a six on 9th August, over a month ago. They are long over and have seed pods forming which I’m curious to find out whether they will come to anything. These later ones are much nicer but don’t produce a good display every year. This year’s hot weather seems to have done the trick for this clump but another group of the same form about six feet away has no flowers, probably because the bulbs had campanula over them for much of the summer.
Two.
The fence between us and next door is five feet high with six foot wide panels. I draped a six x six foot pea and bean net on one panel and put pots of Lophospermum ‘Magic Dragon’ at one end, Rhodochiton atrosanguineus at the other, back in spring. Here’s how it looks now. The thing on the left is Podochaenium eminens, in case you’re wondering.
Three.
Persicaria sinuata was a plant I was given as Persicaria runcinata ‘Needhams Form’. Growild Nursery are now selling seed as Persicaria sinuata Edward Needham Collection, having established its correct identity. It self sows enthusiastically rather than aggressively but is low growing and flowers from late spring until late autumn, so is great for the front of a bed.
Four.
Coleus scutellarioides seems to be the current name for the old favourite that everyone knows as simply Coleus. There are seed raised forms about and there are selected named forms sometimes available and perhaps becoming a little easier to find in garden centres? To my mind, the named forms are usually must better than the seedling ones but I’m not sure Sue would agree. This will be a named form but I don’t know its name. I do know that it’s an astonishingly vibrant colour and that we struggle to keep it alive over winter.
Five.
Fuchsia ‘Olga Storey’ has never been better than it is right now. It’s a yellow leaved form so provides bright colour from the time it comes into leaf but we cut it hard back in late winter so it takes time to grow and start flowering. I hope I’m not tempting providence but so far it hasn’t ever had rust, gall mite or capsid; quite a checklist of virtues in my book.
Six.
I grew Iochroma fuchsioides from seed in 2023 and having had several knocking about, seem now to be down to just one. It is growing in a pot which seems to spend much of its time on its side, so it’s in a bit of a sorry state, but it’s doing a fair job of making a case to be treated better. I don’t think we have anywhere suitable to plant it in the ground so it’ll have to be pot grown and put outside for the summer, but it looks like it might just be worth the trouble.
Oh, is that it? I have more, surprisingly enough given the time of year. Oh well, perhaps they’ll keep till next week. There are dry days in the forecast for next week, albeit quite a bit colder. I might get my spuds lifted yet.
garden ruminations 
That Fushsia is superb! It has inspired me to hunt mine out in the shrubbery and take some cuttings of it. 🌼🌸 That named variety of Coleus is quite magnificent. The last few years I have kept some common varieties alive and have used them as indoor plants in the house.
Here are my six-
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That Fushsia is superb! It has inspired me to hunt mine out in the shrubbery and take some cuttings of it. 🌼🌸 That named variety of Coleus is quite magnificent. The last few years I have kept some common varieties alive and have used them as indoor plants in the house.
Here are my six-
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Lovely six today. I forget to buy Naked Ladies every year, but seeing your beauties has made me put it in my phone notepad, so there is some chance of remembering! Missed buying Coleus Campfire too, but I got it through 3 winters previously, so next season I’ll give it another go. Thanks for hosting!
Here are my six: https://wp.me/pM8Y1-9yd
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Excellent, you have given me the name of my Coleus, and I’m seeing the lady who gave it to me tomorrow and can tell her its name too.
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Beautiful color on what will always be simply coleus to me. As fall approaches, there are plenty of clean up tasks to perform.
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I just looked up Coleus scutellarioides on Plants of the World Online, who list 103 synonyms for it. We have no chance! It’s a wonder we get anything right. It also shows its (tropical) distribution, which possibly explains why I struggle to overwinter it.
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You have some brillian things in your post today, but of course I am very sorry not to be seeing your sweetcorn shreddings and before and after greenhouse pictures… 😉 The fence and netting combo works brilliantly – what a great idea! And I am definitely going to add coleus to the Coop next year – where do you buy your (non-seed raised ones)? That fuchsia looks great too, and I am wondering whether to ask for a cutting. I would certainly like to try some seeds or seedlings of that intriguing persicaria, if you could spare some of its progeny… Thanks as always for hosting https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/six-on-saturday-from-the-back-bedroom-window/
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I’ll check the Persicaria over for seed tomorrow. We’ve picked up named Coleus in a couple of local garden centres this year. Dibley’s, of Streptocarpus and Begonia fame, do a fair range as plugs, which I haven’t tried but probably will next year.
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Ooh, I will look at Dibleys next year, as that’s where I have had my streptocarpus from. Thanks
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I just picked up small versions of my Coleus as I saw them early in the season Cathy. However now I am smitten I shall search out plugs earlier in the season.
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I am so used to buying online at specialist nurseries that I rarely visit our local garden center apart from buying compost! I shall certainly look at Dibley’s though, as I use them anyway, although I had never noticed they sold coleus!
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That fuchsia would be even more rad if it could stay out and grow without getting cut back. So would that Coleus.
Here are my six.
https://tonytomeo.com/2025/09/20/six-on-saturday-bud-to-bloom/
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September Harvest – My Slice of Mexico
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Your fuchsia is lovely, very much like my ‘Genii’ but mine is much smaller. Is yours in a container or in the ground? I also like the persicaria with the unusual leaves. I have one with normal looking leaves that forms a really nice ground cover. An interesting idea with the pea/bean netting. One I may try myself next year.
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The Fuchsia is in a big pot. Our ‘Genii’ has been hard hit by capsid this year, so very little flower, and magellanica ‘Aurea’, also similar, has gall mite on a lot of the shoot tips, in spite of me picking it off when I see it. ‘Olga Storey’ has bigger leaves and flowers than either of them but is probably less cold hardy.
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You have so many interesting plants, Jim. I like that little persicaria with its unusual leaf shape. And as for that red coleus – stunning
https://tishfarrell.com/2025/09/20/season-of-mist-and-all-round-wetness-six-on-saturday/
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Your garden, as always, is impressive. The climbing vines on the fence are beautiful, and the Coleus is such a deep, dramatic color. Fuchsias are always a favorite. Thank you, again, for hosting.
https://plantpostings.blogspot.com/2025/09/six-signs-of-autumn.html
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This week, you have some gorgeous plants that I just never see. Amaryllis belladonna is pretty much restricted to west coast growers in the US. In the east, we have Lycoris x squamigera as a substitute, but it is never so vigorous and vibrant. I don’t know why Persicaria is just completely absent from gardens around here. Are they intolerant of heat.
Here are my Six: a few from the garden, a few from the greenhouse, and (Arachnophobe Trigger Warning!) a spider.
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Some Persicarias are monstrously invasive, which often leads to people tarring them all with the same brush. I don’t know how tolerant of heat they are, we don’t get anything you’d call heat! Tony sent me seed of an Amaryllis some years back and I’m very keen to know which of my forms it’s like, or whether it’s different from both.
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My plant of the week goes to the coleus. I love its vibrant colour! I am going to a plant fair in a few weeks time so hopefully I can pick up one there.
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What a wonderful lot of colour you still have in your garden, the Amaryllis has certainly done well. I also like the fuchsia, I think they have done very well this year, mine haven’t needed any attention.
My six are here……………https://www.leadupthegardenpath.com
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What a lovelyFuchsia ‘Olga Storey’ , it would be great to place one in my proposed very bright bed for next year. I wonder if you would mind getting a cutting going whenever suitable Jim? Here are my six for this week: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2025/09/six-on-saturday-20-september-2025.html
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I haven’t looked but we quite likely have young plants of Olga Storey on the go already, it’s one Sue propagates regularly. I’ll look tomorrow.
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Lovely and say thanks to Sue from me.
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We might be rapidly approaching October, but your garden is still looking great with an abundance of colour. The Amaryllis belladonna is particularly beautiful, as is Fuchsia ‘Olga Storey’.
This has been an unusually busy week for me, and with work going on around my desk (involving a large assortment of power tools!) I haven’t been able to pull a post together. Hopefully back next week.
Enjoy your garden while it’s still rich in colour!
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I love the lochroma, but I also love the fuchsia and the persicaria. And the two climbers that have romped over that fence are amazing!
Here’s my six this week: https://mysanctuarygarden.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/six-on-saturday-20-09-2025/
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The Persicaria sinuata is lovely – flower and foliage-wise https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/six-on-saturday-20-september-2025/
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I must check it over for seed. If it has any, do you want some?
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Oooh – yes please, if that’s okay? I was just looking at the site you shared. If you ever fancy any seed from anything in my garden let me know.
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At first glance I thought your Amaryllis belladonna were Nerines. You reminded me that once more I’ve not seen the Nerines. They flowered once in about three years.
Here’s a link to my six
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I think what Nerines want is to be open to the sun all day, all summer. They don’t seem to like even very moderate partial shade. With increasing shade from a growing tree, ours flowered less and less.
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Very original Persicaria! About the Coleus, indeed it is a red, vibrant colour… I love it too
https: //fredgardenerblog2.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/six-on-saturday-20-09-25/
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That fuchsia would be even more rad if it could stay out and grow without getting cut back. So would that Coleus.
Here are my six.
https://tonytomeo.com/2025/09/20/six-on-saturday-bud-to-bloom/
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Rhodochiton atrosanguineus is pretty rad. I remember it from before.
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Replied to the wrong place Tony, it should have been to Jim’s , not my reply to him 😉
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oops. sorry.
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The Fuchsia stays out but all the top growth gets killed. It shoots from the base. I’m not sure what conditions Coleus wants to overwinter, it doesn’t like our glasshouses; too cold/damp? and it doesn’t like the windowsill indoors; air too dry?
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Coleus does not grow well as a houseplant? It did not do well in my former home, but I thought that it was because it was in shady situations. I never gave it much thought.
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Your link isn’t working, Fred
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Tks Gill, redo now
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I love that little persicaria and the fuchsia so floriferous! I’ve got a very small Iochroma like yours (too lazy to check spelling) but it is struggling. I think it arrived with red spider mite, which is rather annoying. Seeing yours, I will definitely persist! Here are my six https://offtheedgegardening.com/2025/09/20/six-on-saturday-still-standing/
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